


Ailurophobia

by Pikartiste



Series: The Future of the Past [2]
Category: Ripper Street
Genre: Gen, Phobias, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 17:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16999602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikartiste/pseuds/Pikartiste
Summary: Shine is training for a competition to come up, but will be confronted to his biggest fear.





	Ailurophobia

Only the noise of the punches in the big punching bag echoed on the gym.

 

Inspector Jedediah Shine was training for the next match which was happened in five days. So, for several weeks, Shine trained himself until late evening, without release, imposing himself an iron discipline : strict diet, no more alcohol and tabacco, and mostly a complete revision of tactics and moves he had to use against the opponent during the match. We must say that the C-Divison's champion is particulary coriaceous ! And beating him would be hard.

 

Shine kept it beating with all his strenght in the punching bag staying focused in his goal : beating the opponent. His fists befalled violentely in the rough leather of the bag, Left, right, left, right. His phalanges bore chocks despite gloves. He was sweating, was faltering but didn't weaken.

 

A sharp noise suddenly echoed, making the Inspector jump who failed his punch.

 

He looked all around him but saw nothing. Weather was windy, it probably came from outside. Shine groaned : why did he reacted to something so stupid ? Come on, he had match to win.

 

He took back to his training, focusing again on his goal. Left, right, left, right; the punches started to fall in the punching bag again. In the room, there were the noise of the pounding of the gloves in the leather opponent again, mistreating unceremoniously. 

 

A meow snapped sharply this melody of punches.

 

Shine frozed suddenly.

 

Jedediah Shine was feared by everyone in the town. He had the reputation of being a ruthless and respected person in the police environment. He jailed very dangerous criminals, fought dreadful opponents. Everyone thought he was infallible. But it was one thing, one _DAMNED_ thing which could make the Inspector losing control, making him panicking at the hightest point and tearing his reputation in pieces.

 

These things was _cats !_

 

Palling, Shine slowly rose his head toward the ceiling and saw, standing in a beam in the dark, a big black cat fixing him with his large bright yellow eyes. Shine felt his gut freezing by fear and his heart beating at full speed. A scene of his childhood suddenly appeared in his memory.

 

***

 

He was still a little boy at that time. He came back from market where he had to do a grocery for Aunt Valentine, who sent him to buy some fish for lunch. He wasn't too far from his home, his big basket under his arm when a group of cats was formed in the wall. At first he didn't pay attention to them, but the fish smell attracted them, and they began to follow him. However he tried to scare them … Until one of them attacked him violentely, followed by the others. He went back home crying and bleeding, and Aunt Valentine slapped him in return before sending him in his bedroom to punish him … What an injustice for such a little boy !

 

All because of those bloody cats !

 

***

Shine couldn't divert his eyes from the animal which keep going to fix him with his eyes, only luminous source betraying the obscurité, as it was laughing at him saying “Look at you, deep moron, you play to the one who isn't afraid of anything, but you're trembling in front of me. What a pity.”

 

“Filthy beast !” Shine spat between his teeth.

 

As he heard him, the cat sat down by looking at him, proud from the top of its beam. Shine loathed this fear but, however, he couldn't control it. His members trenbled everywhere in his body. He believed he will faint.

 

In his head, a feel between horror and hatred were mixing. The Inspector thightened his fists like he was giving himself some bravery.

 

“Get out filthy beast !” the boxer hissed.

 

Suddenly, the cat stood up in his four legs and hissed loudly, like spitting his hatred toward that stupid human.

 

Shine widened his eyes by terror, but did a big effort to not give in into panic.

 

“Psssht ! Shoo ! Get out of there !” he cried, but his voice was trembling.

 

The cat began to groan, a low groan, and it moved slowly in the beam. Instinctively, Shine retreated. He felt his organs contracting and couldn't leave the horrible beast's eyes.

 

Despite this terrible fear inviding him by all his body, Shine had a moment of lucidity. You should not have someone entering at this while an seeing him in this state. There, the reputation he built, as well as his dignity will collapse in a fraction of seconds. What the others'll say ? The Inspector Shine, the terrible Inspector Shine is afraid of cats ! Everybody will laugh at him...

 

_No !_ It shouldn't happen.

 

That's when an idea came in his mind.

 

_His gun !_ Shine always carried it with him, whatever happens !

 

Carefully, the Inspector retreated looking after the cat, step to step until he reached his jacket where the weapon were hidden. Once he reached it, he hurried to pull off his gloves then staighted his arm behind him and searched for the gun, groping, in the thick tissu of the jacket.

 

“I'll got you, rubbish !” Shine groaned once he got his hand on his weapon.

 

The animal kept going to move on groaning, while Shine charged his weapon shaking. The feline stopped when Shine point his gun towards him.

 

“You do less evil, uh ?” Shine mocked as he was giving himself some bravery. But his hand trembled and he had to control himself to aim correctly.

 

“You should leave there, shithead !” Shine cried towards his target.

 

But the cat wasn't impressed at all and hissed once gain.

 

“Don't play the cunt with me !” Shine cried again, with a voice more and more chocked with fear. “I swear that if you not leave there now, I'll shoot ya !”

 

But he broke down when he saw the feline to get in position to attack him. Shine _forgot to refrain himself._

 

“Le … Get out …” he said faintly.

 

He was going to be attacked once again. He believed to see the cats horde when he was little.

 

The cat meowed savagely and was ready to jump.

 

“ **GEEEEEEEEEEETTTT OOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUTTTTTT !!!!!!”** Shine yielded with all his voice.

 

A gunshot was heard.

 

Shine opened his eyes slowly. His gun smoked in front of him. He was paralysed for an instant before his brain refound his capacity to coordinate his movements. Shine let down his gun and looked at the ceilling : the cat _vanished._

 

He was puzzled : did he succeded to shoot the cat ? Did he run away when it heard the gunshot ?

 

Whatever, this trash was gone.

 

Shine let himself falling on the bench to refound his spirits. He deeply inhaled to calm himself down, his face covered with sweat.

 

“Everything's okay, Inspector ?” someone asked.

 

Surprised, the Inspector turned his head toward the gym's entrance. It was Sergeant Rick who was standing there.

 

“Yeah I'm fine.” Shine sighed, which was more exasperation than anything else.

 

“Are you sure ?” Rick insisted. “I heard a gunshot, so I came.”

 

“I said I'm fine !” Shine hissed nastily.

 

Rick was surprised by his superior's behaviour. He had a edgied face and he felt a tense in his members which was unusual.

 

“Fine. Do you need something ?” the Sergeant asked.

 

Shine sighed, his head against the wall. “I just want to be alone.” he said.

 

“Yes Sir.” Rick said to him, then he left the room.

 

Shine suddenly felt voided, he didn't have the envy to keep going on the training. Flabbily, he grabbed his things and moved towards the exit.

 

A new cracking noise made him jumped, he quickly turned, the breath cut.

 

_Nothing._

 

Shine shook his head grumbling. _No, not again !_ He hurried to go out and sharply slammed the door.

 

Let him be cursed until the end of time.

 


End file.
